The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-27

1t IS curious that while the ChlneSe
claim a remote antiquity for nearly all
the products of their long-arrested civ
ilization, they give what to them is a
comparatively modern date for the in
PRODUCTION of tea into the Celestial En-
pire. And even then they trace the origin
of the article TO myth. They tell us
that about the beginning of the sixth
century in our present reckoning, one
Darma, a prince of high principle and
great piety, landed among them and
gave up his life wholly 10 devotion. He
entered no temple, but, living in the
open air, gave day and night to prayer
and the study of Cod work in nature,
his aim being to 50 purify his life that in
the end he would become absorbed into
the Divine Presence He had an idea
that if he could only conquer sleep so
his mind might be forever alive to the
impressions and scenes around him, and
in constant meditation on the unseen,
the sublime purpose he had before him
would surely be attained. The weak
ness OF the flesh. however was too much
for This enthusiast. Worn out by his pro-
tractcd vigil, he az length fell into a
profound Slum5cr; but instead of wax
ing up with Il sense of comfort and re-
freshmcnt, it was in shame and humilia-
ton that he opened his eyes, and in an
agony of grief over his failure to keep
awake he took knife and cut Of the Of
Tending eyelidS. Returning after a time
10 the spot where this extraordinary
pcnance was performed, he was amazed
to find that the eyelids had taken root and
developed into fragrant and beautiful
shrubs. He plucked some of the leaves
and eating them felt like man trans
formed. A new JOY possessed his
mind, a new courage animated his
body; he had found an elixir that con-
quered sleep and made persistent watch
fulness Il certainty. 1t was in this
fashion, say the Chinese, that the tea
plant came into existence. The storyi is
not so meaningless as it appears on the
surface. Apart from its spiritual signifi-
canoe, we see in the legend that from
an early period tea was regarded as a
preventive of drowsineSs; and this, in
deed, is the recommendation given to
it by those Jesuit Fathers who are sup
posed to have been the first Europeans
in China to make use of the plant.
We do not find mention of tea in
literature earlier than the sixteenth
century. Certain Italian writers who
flourished then speak of it, and one of
them, anticipating COwper, describes it
as "a delicate Juice which takes the
place of wine, and is good for health
and sobriety." Tea must then have
found its way into Europe, and the
Portuguese were probably the first to
import it. 1t was not. however, until
about a century later that it was
brought into England. 1t was so
much of a rarity that a gift of a
few pounds of it to the SOW
ereign in 1864 was considered
a magnificent present. In 1867 con-
siderable importation of the article was
made into this country, the amount be-
ing nearly five thousand pounds. but it
found by no means ready sale. This
was owing, perhaps, less to the price
than to the prejudice with which En-
Glish people in the first instance re-
garded the beverage. When it was first
offered in our markets from G6 to f10
ii pound was asked; a little later e. los
was accepted. Garraway, of coffee
house fame, was retailing it in 1867 at
from sixteen to fifty shillingS a pound.
In his advertisement he states that sin
respect OF its former scarceneSS and dear
ness it hath been only used as Il regalia
in high treatment and entertainment
and presents made thereof to princes
and grandees;" but better era had
now dawned and Garraway tells us he
first publicly sold the said tea in leaf
and drink according to the directions
of the most knowing merchants and
travellers in those Eastern countries, and
upon knowledge and experience of the
said Garraway's continued care and in
dustry in obtaining the best tea and
making drink thereof, very many
noblemen, physicians and merchants
and gentlemen of quality have
ever since sent to him for the
said leaf and daily resort to this house
to drink the drink thereof" Even
Garraway's reduced scale of prices
and accomplished brewing failed to
create any great demand for the new
beverage and most of the writers and
wits of the time are found satirizing it,
Shadwell talks Of it as something ..for
women and men that livc like women"
but Shadwell, on Dryden's showing,
being ''round as tub and hquored
every cmnk." could hardly be expected
10 be partial 70 any such mild form of
dissipation. Steele was no doubt less
prejudiced, but even he speaks bitterly
of the new custom of tea drinking.
Don't you see," he makes one of his
characters say of women, show they
swallow gallons of the juice of tea,
while their own dock leaves are trod-
den undertook" This, however, was
but cchoing the views of economists of
the times, who had said that if such a
detection were to become necessity it
was ridiculous to pay heavily for what
could just as easily be made out of sage
and bramble leaves. Another COM
plant of the period against this
new fashion of tea drinking was
that il gave rise to gossip and